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Israel-Syria relations

Syria’s interim foreign minister Asaad Shaibani (L) delivers a speech during the inauguration of Syria’s embassy at Al-Nofleen district in Tripoli on August 30, 2026. (Mahmud Turkia/AFP)
September 1, 2026, 4:21 pm
Syria says it’s working ‘seriously’ on diplomatic solution with Israel despite attacks
FM al-Shaibani reports US-mediated talks aim for full Israeli withdrawal to pre-December 2024 lines, pans Katz’s remarks on IDF remaining in Syrian territory
By AFP and ToI Staff
Mossad chief Roman Gofman (left) and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in a photo montage. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90; Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)
August 23, 2026, 11:26 pm
Mossad chief meets Syrian FM in effort to defuse tensions after airstrike
Israel said to set ‘red lines’ for diplomatic agreement, as US pushes for full renewal of direct Jerusalem-Damascus talks that were halted earlier this year
By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani speaks in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 25, 2026. (LOUAI BESHARA/AFP)
August 23, 2026, 12:02 pm
Syrian FM urges Israel to seize ‘historic opportunity’ for bilateral relations
‘We do not trust Israel currently,’ top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani says, but ‘Syria is extending its hand for understandings, peace, diplomacy’ with its neighbor
By TOM PERRY and Feras Dalatey
US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks in a panel during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, southern Turkey, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Riza Ozel)
August 22, 2026, 3:25 pm
US envoy suggests Israeli strike in Syria sought to ‘bait’ Turkey ahead of elections
Katz says claim ‘full of inaccuracies,’ Jerusalem made diplomatic effort to avoid recent bombing of base near Turkish border; Tom Barrack confirms Mossad chief spoke with Syrian FM ahead of strike
By ToI Staff and Emanuel Fabian
Illustrative: Turkish soldiers seen waiting in front of Incirlik military base in Adana in this handout photo released March 12, 2026. (Turkish Defense Ministry/AFP)
August 20, 2026, 12:40 pm
Turkey denies military visit to Syrian base; Damascus confirms it but refutes deployment plan
Ankara says no military delegation was at airbase ‘before or during Israel’s attack’; Al-Shaibani says Damascus told Jerusalem no Turkish troops were deploying to Abu Duhur
By ToI Staff, Agencies and Nava Freiberg
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discusses an Israeli airstrike in Syria, in a podcast interview, August 19, 2026. (Screenshot via X)
August 19, 2026, 11:18 pm
‘Don’t’: Netanyahu says he warned Turkey before Israel struck Syrian base
PM says message now conveyed ‘more clearly’ to Ankara; sources say Mossad chief discussed issue last week with Syrian FM; Ehud Barak calls escalation ‘reckless and stupid’
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Decommissioned Syrian Air Force planes are seen at the Abu al-Duhur military airport, east of Idlib, following the takeover of the area by Syrian opposition fighters on December 7, 2024. (AP/Omar Albam)
August 19, 2026, 5:27 am
Israel confirms striking Syrian air base, saying Turkey was planning to deploy forces
Netanyahu’s office asserts Damascus was repeatedly warned ‘such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security’; Trump’s envoy says US working to establish deconfliction mechanism for Israel, Syria and Turkey
By Emanuel Fabian and Agencies
The Syrian nuclear reactor site before it was destroyed by the IDF in 2007, as seen from a satellite. (Photo: Google Earth)
August 11, 2026, 9:49 am
IAEA said prepping to remove Syria nuclear material left over from Assad era
Israel reportedly told US it could bomb the site unless material — including yellowcake suitable for a dirty bomb — was safely removed, prompting nuclear watchdog’s deal with Damascus
By ToI Staff
The border between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams is seen July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
July 29, 2026, 11:24 am
Fringe settler group has been sneaking into Syria in bid to claim land for Jewish outpost
‘Bashan Pioneers’ regularly cross border in violation of the law; leaders tout support from right-wing ministers, say area must be ‘cleared of enemies’
By Natalie Melzer, ABBY SEWELL and Julia Frankel
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
July 26, 2026, 6:07 pm
Syria’s Sharaa: Working on security pact with Israel, could lead to comprehensive peace deal
Syrian leader tells Al Jazeera that Damascus has no interest in conflict with Israel; again rejects Trump’s urgings for him to send troops to deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon
By ToI Staff
Yosef, Henry and Joseph Hamra in front of the US Capitol in 2025. (Courtesy Syrian Emergency Task Force via JTA)
July 22, 2026, 4:30 am
As Israel urged caution, these Syrian Jews lobbied the US to lift sanctions on Syria
Unlikely alliance between son of Palestinian refugees and Jewish cantor drives campaign to give second chance to new government — and let exiles visit their former home
By Theia Chatelle
Golan Regional Council Deputy Head Yaakov Selavan, left, stands with Reut Tal-Levy, head of demographic growth in the Golan Heights, in a new neighborhood in Odem, on April 20, 2026. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)
May 9, 2026, 7:24 am
The quiet frontier? With minefields cleared, Golan Heights readies for construction boom
Despite local volatility, residents brace for speedy growth and bolstered infrastructure as part of recently approved 5-year plan allocating NIS 1 billion to develop area by 2030
By Diana Bletter
The offices of the Interior Ministry in Jerusalem, November 23, 2011. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
April 29, 2026, 9:45 am
After years in limbo, court lets Syrian convert live in Israel with husband, a disabled vet
Interior Ministry had repeatedly denied couple’s efforts to build a home in the country, despite woman’s conversion to Judaism and severing of ties to Syria
By Sue Surkes
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack speaks during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17, 2026. (Screen capture/ YouTube)
April 18, 2026, 10:31 pm
US envoy argues Israeli policy on Syria and Turkey strategically counterproductive
Tom Barrack, Trump’s special envoy on Syria and ambassador to Turkey, asserts Ankara plays productive role in Gaza, hails Syrian restraint in face of repeated IDF incursions
By Jacob Magid
Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa, center, arrives to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, southern Turkey, on April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Riza Ozel)
April 17, 2026, 2:59 pm
Syria’s Sharaa: Israel has acted with ‘brutality,’ but talks not at dead end
Leader says talks now focused on restoring UN buffer zone, will later shift to future of Golan; all bases in Syria that hosted US troops now under state control, Damascus says
By ToI Staff, Nurit Yohanan and Agencies
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